BEIRUT, December 3. /TASS/. Syrian government forces have staged a counteroffensive southeast of the city of Aleppo located some 360 kilometers from Damascus, a field source told the Al Watan newspaper.

According to the source, government troops have advanced along the Atraya-Aleppo highway and approached the town of Khanasir, which was seized by Jabhat al-Nusra (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) militants. Government forces are attacking the enemy, which is sustaining losses in manpower and hardware.

Apart from that, Syrian army is conducting artillery fire at militants north, west, and east of the city of Hama, the administrative center of the governorate of the same name located 220 kilometers from Damascus.

Earlier, Syrian government forces regained control over several towns in the Hama governorate along the highway linking the cities of Al-Suqaylabiyah and Mharda.

According to the Syrian army command, at least 200 terrorists, including some commanding officers, were eliminated and more than 20 drones operated by terrorists were shot down during the day.

Units of the Jabhat al-Nusra extremist group (outlawed in Russia) staged a large-scale attack on Syria’s northern governorates early on November 27. According to the Syrian government army command, the terrorists attempted to seize a number of neighborhoods and military facilities, attacking the positions of government forces. The Syrian army launched an operation to repel the attack.

On November 30, the Syrian army command said that government forces were delivering strikes on terrorists’ positions in Aleppo. According to the Syrian defense ministry, the army had to regroup to save the lives of civilians and its troops and prepare for a counterattack.